Saturday Big Ten NCAA Odds: No 2 Ohio State vs No 15 Indiana
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Frank Martin
It’s been a while since No. 15 Indiana Hoosiers has posed much of a threat to No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. Although the Hoosiers have been down in recent years, that statement was particularly true over the past three seasons when they met the Buckeyes, who have won each of the last six meetings by an average margin of 19.3 points.
However, this Indiana squad – which is 9-0 at home with a win over then-No. 1 Kentucky on Dec. 10 – figures to be much more competitive when it hosts Ohio State on Saturday. Indiana saw its best start to a season since 1975-76 come to an end in Wednesday’s 80-65 loss to Michigan State in its Big Ten Conference opener.
Conversely, Ohio State rolled to an easy win at home in its first conference game on that same day in an 87-54 rout of Northwestern.
-
#2 Ohio State Buckeyes
@ #15 Indiana Hoosiers
When:
6:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 31, 2011
Where:
Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
TV:
6 p.m. ET, ESPN2
The Buckeyes have opened as 5-point favorites on SBG Global Sportsbook’s Live NCAA Basketball Odds.
Ohio State Buckeyes (13-1, 1-0 BIG TEN): The Buckeyes entered Wednesday’s tilt ranked 11th in the conference with 4.8 3-pointers per game and had hit more than six in only one game, but drilled 8-of-14 in the first half alone – and 10-of-20 for the game – against the Wildcats. William Buford is tied for first in the conference with Penn State’s Tim Frazier for the most 20-point games this season (six). The win against Northwestern was the 34th-consecutive home victory for Ohio State, the third-longest streak in the country behind Duke and Kentucky.
Indiana Hoosiers (12-1, 0-1 BIG TEN): Christian Watford scored a game-high 26 points in the loss to the Spartans, giving him 1,005 for his career to become the 43rd player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point mark. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for his ninth career double-double and second in as many games. The Hoosiers lead the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (45 percent), are seventh in the nation in field goal percentage (50.5), fifth in scoring margin (22.0) and ninth in scoring (83.3).
1.
DeShaun Thomas, the 2010 Indiana Mr.
Basketball, scored 22 points in the Buckeyes last game against the Hoosiers on
Feb. 27.
2. Verdell Jones III needs just seven points to pass Dick Van Arsdale
for 28th on the Hoosiers all-time scoring list.
3. Ten
Buckeye wins have been by 22 or more points and all but two have been by double
figures.
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Tags
assembly hall - christian watford - deshaun thomas - dick van arsdale - indiana hoosiers - ohio state buckeyes - tim frazier - verdell jones iii - william buford